- Exploring the festivals & farmers markets around the city (this was awesome - well, minus the hour-long torrential downpour). As much as I hate the muggy, nasty weather that tends to come with this season, I love all of the events that crop up around the city during the summer. The summer really is when Chicago is at its best!
- Attempting to get a handle on everything that's happening in my professional life. Despite my best efforts, it still feels like its spiraling out of control (sigh). I'm still waiting for the final details of this situation - why yes, I was supposed to have answers weeks ago. And no, I don't have those answers quite yet (sigh x2). There have been a few clarifications, but nothing close to what was promised. I will explain all once I actually know what's happening (sigh x3).
- Contemplating relationships. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine lost her significant other of almost 20 years and is dealing with not only her loss, but also some surprising/hurtful reactions from people who aren't being very sympathetic because they weren't married (because I guess it doesn't really hurt unless you have that legal document?!?). Also, two of my other friends have recently confessed they want to leave their husbands (neither said it out of frustration or as a fleeting thought - both are seriously considering it). My head is still spinning from some of the things they said about their husbands and how they feel/don't feel anymore. Love does not conquer all... and there needs to be so much more than just love in order to sustain a viable connection with your significant other. Relationships take a lot of hard work, sacrifice, patience, and desire; once that desire to maintain a healthy connection is dead, the relationship can't survive. Both of my friends are in a place where that desire is completely gone.
- Mourning the loss of two more relatives (both my grandmother's sisters) - great aunt #1 died two weeks ago and great aunt #2 died two days ago (only days after being told that her cancer was terminal and she only had about two months left). I didn't know #1 all that well, as she lived in another state and didn't travel much (she had 8 kids), but I was very close to #2 when I was younger (as was my mom & grandmother). The last time I saw her was in 2006 during our family reunion (and in the midst of a big family argument that I wasn't involved in, but watched play out at the reunion). Although I would say that closeness definitely faded over the years, her death still hit me hard - her branch of the family was such a huge part of my life for so many years (actually, my parents had even named them as my legal guardians in the case of their deaths). A huge part of my childhood (the little that was left after my parents & grandparents died) is gone. Out of my 12 great aunts/uncles, now only one is still alive. :(
- Traveling to various places in my head. I have a serious case of wanderlust. Currently at the top of my list? Sweden!! I've always had an interest in Sweden, as my father's side of the family is from there (I have one of those strong Nordic last names), but the urge to go has gotten even stronger after a friend traveled to Stockholm & basically declared it to be the awesomest/coolest/best place ever. I am going to Door County in October for a girls weekend and plan to make my annual trek to Kalamazoo to visit friends sometime in the fall (two of those three friends are moving to Key West in January!), but any big trips are definitely out of the picture until M gets a new job. He's also itching to travel (but not to Sweden!), so I think one of the first things we're going to do when he gets a job is make some plans!
- Teaching a summer class at Small College... this is on top of my normal full-time load (4 classes + freshman advising + various committees) at Large College. For those of you who haven't been around long/forgot: SC is where I started adjuncting back in 2004 (right out of grad school). Although I was hired on as FT faculty at LC in '07, I still occasionally adjunct at SC to pick up some extra money (LC has a horrible payscale - bottom 10% in the city!). Teaching five classes is not exactly how I planned to spend my summer, but the class brings in an extra $2k in eight weeks... and the prep for the extra class is minimal because I've taught it seven times over the last six years.
- Working out. I'm now down 37 lbs (woo-hoo!). I'm trying not to be too focused on the scale because I can easily become obsessive about it, but I'm a planner/organizer so numbers are important to me. I am working my ass off... well, actually, it's not my ass that's coming off, which is annoying. I would like to officially order my body to stop pulling the fat from my boobs - I've already gone from a DD to a D (yes, I know they're still big, but I'd like to keep them that way!). Please move much further south... there's so much more there!
Monday, June 14, 2010
What I've been doing...
...besides not blogging. :)
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8 comments:
I'm so very sorry for your losses. No matter how old we are, or how much time passes since we've seen some people, some losses just feel a lot tougher.
SO very impressed with your 37 pounds. That's my magic number and I'm just barely half-way there. Great job!!
You, my dear, are a rock star! Losing 37 pounds is fantastic!
I am really sorry to hear about your losses and your friends' troubles. The death of a relationship (whether publicly acknowledged or not) can be much like the death of a person. Sending you big hugs.
I am sorry to hear of the passing of your two aunts, it is never easy to lose someone who was a big part of your childhood.
I too am lusting to wander....I want to go back to Spain and head to Italy.
It is strange how people react when you're not married. There was a man who recently spent only a few weeks with us (in the nursing home) before he died. He had a 40-year relationship with a woman but they were not married, and when his sons came here they were all about "We're his famiy, she's not." After 40 years, marriage license or not, you're family in my book.
I'm with you on the wanderlust -- my favorite is road trips. WooHOO on the weight loss! Great for you! Glad to see the updates.
@Truth-Monkey: I definitely feel the same way! I just don't understand people who want to act like a marriage license is the only thing that validates/makes a relationship. People choose not to get married for so many reasons - in my friend's case, they both had children from previous relationships and decided they didn't want to complicate their individual arrangements with the other parties involved. Now, some of his family & her friends are treating her like his death wasn't as big a deal because they never married - nevermind the fact that they spent 20 years in a relationship! Ugh!
I wished that i could be surprised about the way some acted about your friends loss. I had a friend who lost her fiance. She got a call from a friend she hadn't spoken to in a while who asked her to a group bowling night. When she explained what happened and the funeral happened to be the same day, the person said, "well why don't you join us after. Its going to be fun!" People can be bastards.
Oh, anne, that's so terrible! WTF is wrong with people?!?
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